Truck-body mounting



April 24, 1928.

C. B. HUGHES TRUCK BODY MOUNTING Filed Auz. 23. 1926 Patented Apr. 24, 1928.

STA

HAR ES B- lws a sman: R i I Af TRUCK-BODY MOUNTING.

Application filed August, 23, 1926; SeriaLNo; 130,948.

' In various types of; motor. truck construc-v tions as now manufactured and used pan ticularlyheavy duty trucl zs, a long chassis is employed which in most cases has an over:

hang beyond. the rear axles and; wheels. It

in present practice. to bolt the truck body directly in rigid connection to rthe chfissis frame in all of these constructions Tt is found thatthrough this construction of motor trucks, that the chassis; frame, is

subject to considerable flexingin the use of.

the truck onrough roadsjin whip-l the frame will drop with theaxle andawheel at either of the rear. sides fllil end portions of the. frame,'whenever the wheel drops nto. an

excavation or, rut, V

This has been -.t'o 1nd to cause. considerable damagei to the tnuclobody by requiringthe parts of the body to bevfiexedgwiththe frame under the action of; the load which quickly causes the separation of the assembled partsof the body, making it; necessary to entirely rebuild and reinforce thesame.

The present invent on is designed to over-,

come the v disadvantage now experienced; through the result ng damage to the, truckbody by thejflexing of the chassis frame through the provision of aspecialmeans and method for securing the truck body to the chassis frame which willpennit the flexing of the, chassis frame relative to and; away frointhe truck body so that; the truck body may rigidly support the load regardless of the flexing of thechas frame. o

The invention further coinprehendsv the provision of a special n'iounting' for a tnuckj body ,to secure the same to the chassis in which it is secured to the chassis at three points, the ii'ivention being particularly dosigncd to provi'de'a special resilient mounting structure to n'ovidca third pointof anchoragefor the body on the frame.

The invention also comprehends numerous other objects residing in the details of construction and arrangement of the parts for carrying out the invention which are more particularly pointed out. in the following detailed description and in the claims directed to a preferred form of the invention, it being I I for the body on the chassis fran'ie] 1 ant spirit and scope of the invention asherein set forth. I

In the drawings, plicationr V i i i Figure 1 represents aside elevation of an a:

forming part of: this ap automobile truck in diagraliuuatic outline.

illustrating tl ietruck body and the impnned oonstr 'iotion for,mounting' tho body on the chassisfname, i, s t

Fig, 2 is a vertical longitudinal section no showing the constlfuction, of the improved:

resilient spring" foijining the, subject matter this invention, taken on thelinei2--2 of Fig-1. v i i Fig. Sis an inverted plan vierw' v of thestruc ture shown in Fig. 21in; its assen'ibleds relation withrespect to the sill ofthc body and the chassis frame, a a I i A truck of; conventional forn'ifis shown in Fig; l in which il indicatestheichassis-bars of which there are a pair, one at each, side ofthe frame as shown in Fig. 3, i which; are. carried by the front and reanwheels 2 and 3; The, truck; bodyis indicated at 4 which is $13 31 p videdwith, the sill or Sllpl jOliting- 60* I frame 5 of suitable rectangular form whiclifi is provided at its front end, portionfwithi a cross bar 6 adapted toseat on the chassis bars 1 and to receive the SQCL IY-lHgbOltS Tex tending through the crossbarfi and the sills 5 and to rigidly secure the forward endaof the body {ito the intermediate. portion of the. chassis frame bars at the oppositesidesof the body and intermediate the front and ar wheelsQ and Sasclearly shown in 1;. we

The structure, particularly provided by. this inventionjfori'ns third pointof anther indicated generally at 8 aiid clearlyu Figs. 2 and f}. This anchoring device inno eludes the assembling. and supporting men be; 9 which is substantially U,-shape infclgoss section having the spaced parallel walls 10 joined by the central connecting portion 1.1 while the end portions are cut away as shown [00 by the curved edge 12. This curved edge extends so that it will overlie the upper faces of the chassis bars 1 as shown in F 2 where the end portions of the walls 10 are joined by the bridging plates or strips 13, which reston the upper faces of the bars 1 and provide a support for the member 9.

The free ends of the walls 10 of thisanchoring member are provided with lateral extensions 14; secured to the sill 5 of the ,body

as shown in Fig. 3, by suitable bolts or the like.

A suitable fitting 15 shown in Fig. 3, is secured to the inside end of the chassis frame 1 and is provided with a stub shaft extension 16 which extends through the vertically elongated slot 17 in the opposite walls of the member 9. with an eye on one end thereof as indicated at 19 in Fig. 2, which is adapted to receive the stud 16, while the opposite end thereof is formed to provide means for attaching the link as indicated at 20 to the leaf spring structure 21 and in the central portion of said leaf spring structure.

This leaf spring structure includes a plurality of suitable arcuate leaves as illustrated in Fig. 2, in which the longer leaf extends over the plates or strips 13 and is provided with a specially curved end as indicated at 22 adapted to seat over the connecting strips 13 in a manner shown in Fig. 2.

\Vith this construction it will be seen that the arched spring 21 normally operates through the link 18 on the stub shaft 16 to hold the member 9 with the connecting strips 13 in engagement with the upper faces of the chassis bars 1, and through the connection with the fitting 15 provides a third point of attachment for the truck body on the frame. Should one of the rear wheels 3 drop into a rut while the three remaining wheels are on the level surface, it has been found that the chassis bar 1 over the wheel which drops into the ruts will flex downwardly and follow the wheel.

The three point suspension for the body 1 will permit the ready flexing of the chassis frame 1 which will not be transmitted to the body, but compensated for by this resilient anchor mechanism. It will be understood that at the forward end of the body, when the same is bolted through the anchor slot 17 to the chassis bar, that there is little or no flexing of the chassis frame, which has been found to take place principally at the rear end thereof.

It should therefore be clear from the above description that this invention provides a, new and novel means of securing a truck body on the chassis and compensating for the flexibility of the chassis in the mounting of A link 18 is provided the body thereon, and in which two rigid points of mounting are u'sed with a third resilient anchor.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is 1. Means for mounting a vehicle body on a vehicle chassis, comprising means securing the body at a pair of spaced points to said chassis, and resilient means connecting the body with the chassis at a third point spaced from the first mentioned pair of points and normally and yieldingly retaining said body in engagement with said chassis at points at opposite sides of and spaced from the said third point. I

2. An anchor construction for securing a vehicle body to a frame, comprising a transverse U-shaped member, having ends secured to. the body, a transverse spring secured and operable in the U-shaped member and hear ing adjacent to its ends on the end portions of the U-shaped member, and a fitting secured to the chassis or frame and having a slidable engagement in said U-shaped memher, said fitting having connection with said transverse spring whereby said transverse spring will permit flexing of the chassis relative to the body and normally retain the body in position on said chassis.

3. In combination, a vehicle body, a chassis, spaced means rigidly securing the side portions of the body to the side'portions of the chassis at spaced points adjacent to the forward end of the body, a transverse member connected to spaced parts of the body adjacent to the rear end thereof and having portions normally bearing on the chassis at spaced points adjacent to the rear end of the chassis and also having a portion pendent between the side portions of the chassis, a connection between said transverse member and the rear portion of the chassis, the transverse member being capable of limited vertical play relative to said connection, and a transverse spring coupled to the said connection and bearing on the end portions of the transverse member to yieldingly maintain said end portions on the side portions of the chassis.

in testimony whereof I affix my signature.

his CHARLES B. X HUGHES.

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